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The Good Stuff

Saturday, 20 June 2015

Skiers fill up their storage
rooms with a variety of ski types for a wide range of conditions.

The sheds of cyclists are
often over stuffed with road, cross, town, mountain, you name it bikes

We won’t even begin to
address the amount of tackle avid anglers gather over the years

But,
if you’re new to a sport, you need to stockpile slowly and sensibly. When it
comes to choosing a climbing rope, knowing a few details before you buy can
help you build up your climbing arsenal affordably.

Rope
specs

Climbing
ropes come in an array of lengths, diameters and handling characteristics. What
you predominantly intend on using your rope for will help you narrow things down
a bit.

Here’s
a general (note the word GENERAL) guideline to the spec ranges ropes can come
in:

Type

Diameter

Weight g/m

Fall rating

(# of UIAA falls)

Workhorse Single Ropes

10.1-11mm

65-77

10-17

All-Around Single Ropes

9.5-10mm

60-64

7-9

Skinny Single Ropes

8.9-9.4mm

52-59

5-6

Half Ropes

8-9mm

41-53

6-16

Twin Ropes

7-8mm

37-42

12-19

What
type of rope is best for your needs?

The
workhorse

A
workhorse is just that – durable, hardworking and tough. These ropes are great
for areas with sharp rock edges and are the easiest to hold.The drawbacks? They can run less smoothly
through your belay device and they tend to be heavy.

The
all-around

An
all-around rope is the most common type of rope used for sport, trad and alpine
climbing because they are of average weight, diameter and fall rating.

Skinny

Skinny
ropes are for situations where weight matters:

long routes with lots of
belays

alpine routes where you
are coiling extra rope around your shoulder

on-sights and red-points

Since
a fall can be harder to catch with a skinny rope, make sure your belay device
can supply lots of friction and is rated for the smaller diameter of a skinny
rope. Practicing catching a fall in a safe situation (ie: the gym) will help you
get the feel.

Half
ropes

Half
ropes are ideal for routes where the protection is not in a straight line or
the route wanders. The more your rope meanders back and forth, the bigger the
rope drag. By clipping each rope alternately, you can minimize rope drag.

You
can also minimize the potential length of a fall by taking up slack in the rope
that’s running from the piece of pro that’s the farthest away. Double belay
distances and the extra protection of two separate ropes in the case that one
is severed are additional benefits.

The
downside is the extra weight of carrying two ropes. Make sure you never clip
both ropes to the same piece of pro because it doubles the amount of fall force
on both your and the pro.

Twin
ropes

Twin
ropes are best for ice climbing and wandering routes with lots of belays. While
they are lighter and less bulky that half ropes, you need to clip both ropes
into each piece of pro, which can cause more rope drag.

Let’s
go climbing!

While
this blog has– hopefully – helped you understand the basics around the types
shapes and sizes of climbing ropes, it’s no substitute for expert advice,
experience and training.

If
you are new to climbing, seek out a professional or an experienced friend to
learn more about how climbing ropes are used and which type is best suited for
which purpose.

Saturday, 13 June 2015

How
to pick the right carabiner

With
so many choices out there, picking the right carabiner is not always a simple
decision. But you can’t go climbing without them. They are indispensible for so
many critical chores:

·Clipping into your rope

·Clipping your rope to a piece of protection

·Attaching gear to your harness

The
decision on what to buy depends mainly on the intended use. You also need to be
sure you are using each one correctly for the task at hand.

If
you are confused about what type of biners you need to populate your personal
rack, here’s a quick guide to what you need to know to navigate the potentially
complex waters of carabiner shopping.

Shape

Carbiners
come in four general shapes: oval, pear, D or asymmetrical D. What’s the
difference?

1.
The traditional oval

Invented
in the early 1900s by Otto Herzog, the oval carabiner is still used today.

The
pros of an oval biner are:

·They are often more affordable

·They can hold more gear than D shaped biners

·Two can be used in place of a locking biner if set up
correctly

·Their symmetrical shape allows them to be used for a
carabiner-brake rappel

·They are great for aid climbing because they centre the load
at their curve, helping to stop runners from shifting under load

The
drawbacks to oval biners are:

·They are not as strong as the other shapes because, under
load, the force is applied equally to the spine and gate

·They can be heavier

·Their symmetrical shape can make them harder to handle

2.
The dutiful D

The
next phase in the evolution of the modern carabiner is the D. It’s a key tool
in every climber’s rack. Because its shape forces load to the spine it is
stronger and can be made lighter than the oval. Its shape also makes it easier
to clip into.

3.
The asymmetrical or offset D

Lighter
because they are slightly smaller and narrower at one end, asymmetrical Ds are
the go-to biners for many modern climbers.They tend to have larger gate openings, making clipping and racking even
easier. The drawback for some is the more limited space within the D.

Modern
asymmetrical Ds come with all kinds of ergonomic enhancements to enhance
clip-ability.

4.
The hitchable pear

Pear
shaped carabiners are generally reserved for belaying. They can be used with a belay
device, but they also allow a climber to belay with a simple munter hitch.Sometimes called an HMS carabinrer, short for
the German word Halb­mas­t­wurf­sicherung,
which means munter hitch belay, a pear shaped biner is a good back-up in case
you find yourself without a belay device.

GateCarabiner
gates can be:

·Solid or wire (gate type)

·Bent or straight (gate design)

They
also come with two different closure mechanisms:

·notched or keylock

Why
all the choices?

1.
Gate type

Solid
gates are the most common type of carabiner gate. They are constructed of metal
tubing and standard on all locking carabiners. A spring mechanism is used to
snap them shut.

Wire
gates are made of a loop of stainless steel wire. While they may look less
strong than solid gates, the converse is actually the case.Wire gates are:

·lighter

·as strong or stronger

·potentially safer

than solid gates.

Why?
Due to the low weight of the gate, they are less likely to flutter or vibrate
open during a fall. Wire gates are also less likely to freeze up in winter or
become jammed with mud, dirt or ice.

2.
Gate design

Straight
gates are the standard. They offer up lots of functionality whether you are
using them to clip into protection or a bolt, or on a quickdraw.

Bent
gates are designed to make clipping easier. While the shape of the gate does
not affect its strength, bent gate carabiners should only be used to clip into
your rope because they can unclip more easily from protection or bolts. This
practice also ensures that you don’t use a carabiner that’s been scarred by a
metal hangar on your rope, which can damage it.

3. Gate closure

The
traditional gate closure is a simple notch in the nose that hooks into a pin on
the gate. While this is a strong, reliable gate closure type, there can be a
problem with the notch hooking onto things - a bolt hanger, stopper wire or
sling for example.

The
solution is what’s known as a keylock closure.A keylock closure gate essentially transfers the task of “hooking” the
nose and gate together to the gate.The
nose has a key shape that’s matched up to a corresponding keyhole in the gate,
providing a clean design and eliminating the problem of nosehooking.

Climb safely

The strength of a carabiner is measured in kiloNewtons (kN)
– the force of mass x acceleration. One kiloNewton is approximately 225 lbs. of
force. But this strength rating assumes the carabiner is being used properly.
Here are a few tips to make sure you use your correctly:

Check
the gate’s action every time you use it. It should open and close easily.

Make
sure the nose and hinge, or keylock are not compromised or obstructed.

Never
let your rope run against the sleeve of a locking carabiner.

Make
sure loads are only placed along the major axis. Loads placed on the
shorter axis can cause the device to fail in a fall.

Remember
that your carabiner’s strength is more than halved if the gate is open.

Avoid
any non-locking carabiner set-ups that allow a rope to cross back to open
a gate.